Old Habits Die Hard
by Phoenix's Fairy
Summary: Old habits die hard... but sometimes one must overcome old habits to discover that there is more behind hostility than it is expected to be. Draco and Harry are stuck in the Forbidden Forest, but will they get along with each other? Currently on hiatus.


Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter universe and no money is being made from this story. Just borrowed some characters ;)

 _A Day at the Magical Forest_

 _One day of exploration in the forest,_

 _Enjoying the view while taking a rest,_

 _A whirling sound I hear from a distance,_

 _Follow by sparkling lights. Oh what a glance!_

 _World around me turn into a magical kingdom,_

 _Colorful leaves, flying fairies and they look awesome,_

 _I am lying on the bed of roses with a sweet fragrance,_

 _Is it a dream or a nightmare that I witness in existence?_

 _The soothing sound of waterfalls behind the tree,_

 _Lovely fairies were bathing and smiling at me,_

 _Unicorn with pure tame beauty standing proudly,_

 _Ready to gallop waiting for me to ride in eternity._

 _If it's a dream I don't want to wake up anymore,_

 _Winged tiny fireflies humming beautifully I swore,_

 _Tall trees sway softly to celebrate a magical day,_

 _I couldn't stand still lying on the bed of roses sleepily._

 _I close my eyes to cherish this moment of happiness_

 _Unforgettable and enjoyable day at the magical forest,_

 _I utter a prayer of gladness and smile contentedly,_

 _This is a great experience for me and the best day._

 _Mariadiding Sajsam_

"You're daft, Potter. Just look where you got us with your stupid ideas!", Draco spat as he tried again and again to take a step towards the castle. And again, he failed. It was as if an invisible barrier held him back from stepping only one damn step away from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was about five in the evening, and dawn would soon be approaching. Draco was on the edge, he was a bit cold and just wanted to get into this stupid castle to get some food and maybe come across some first-years to scare them. He kicked an innocence tuft of dandelion so hard that some strands of hair loosen from his oh-so-perfect hairstyle. Harry glanced angrily at Draco and crossed his arms. "Bloody shit, why doesn't it work!". Draco gave out a frustrated shout. Being convinced that he paid enough attention to this amusing spectacle with the frustrated angry Slytherin, Harry took a step forward to Draco. "To enlighten you, _ferret_ , it actually _was_ my idea. But it wasn't about getting stuck in the Forest with you!". "No way! And I thought you have a crush on me!", Draco spat ironically. "So, boy-who-cannot-be-killed, unpack your patronus and send it to the castle. Oh and I hope the first person your patronus will meet is Snape!" Draco gave out another frustrated shout. "Well, I could produce a patronus, but… uhm, it won't get us out of this situation. Magical barrier with time-limit until tomorrow morning". The last words were hard to understand as Harry mumbled them into his non-existing beard. Now Draco looked really pissed. "Are you bloody kiddin' me? You killed this prat of Voldemort, but you cannot break through this barrier with your damn patronus? How could we won the war with you? HOW? Now I hope even more that Snape catches your patronus. I hope he had a really bad day so that Gryffindor's hourglasses will never ever be in credit again as you'll hopefully lose a million of points for such a stupidity!" Draco almost screamed the last words. He clenched his fists and for a second, Harry thought Draco might attack him now this instant, but he just grabbed into a pocket of his trousers, pulled out his wand and started to fire one spell after the other on the invisible barrier. Some nearby plants ended up in fire or were completed destroyed by Draco's spells. "You can be lucky that your spells don't bounce back", Harry said, trying to stay in the background to avoid running the risk of getting hit by some of the spells. Draco stopped shouting incantations, slowly turned to Harry and glanced ferociously at him as if trying to kill him with his glance, still holding his wand up high. "Aaargh! You… bwah! Hrrrng!", he shouted, differing completely from his normal oh-so-well-educated-I'm-more-worth-than-everyone conceited language.

"Silence!", Harry suddenly shouted. "What?" The unexpected taciturnity with a touch of a command put Draco off his stride. He lowered his wand. "You know, instead of standing here doing nothing, I try at least to draw someone's attention to us to get out of this misery!". "Well, if this was your intention", Harry mumbled, "then you achieved your goal, congrats". Draco opened his mouth to give Potter a real good answer, but before another word was spoken, a cracking sound of nearby tiwgs interrupted the sudden silence. The boys starred into the direction the sound was coming from. And there he stood, silent, but obviously angry. A huge centaur, Harry recognized him as Firenze by the print of a hoof on his chest he got years ago from Bane, another centaur. None of them dared to move or speak.

„Wither goest thou?", Firenze asked them calmly, his wiseful eyes resting on the boys. "As you have _maybe_ easily noticed, we aren't going anywhere, thanks to Potter-the-Greatest", Draco spat with narrowed eyes. Firenze crossed his arms, awe-inspiring. "Ye shout incantations and spells, here, in the Forest". He stepped forward to the boys, his voice was booming. "What do ye think? What do ye dare?" Without waiting for an answer, Firenze spoke on. "Stars will change tonight". Forgetting that it was Draco to whom he was talking, Harry leaned forward and mumbled, "Every time the same thing. Everytime you meet him, he will tell you that the stars will change that night". Harry shook his head. "Of course they change their position during the night, quadruped. To enlighten you, it's one of nature's rules", Draco scoffed at what Firenze told them. Suddenly the atmosphere changed and the centaur darted malignant glances on both the boys.

He stood with his hands on his hips and planted himself in front of them. "Do ye not know the power of the Forest? Do ye not know which creatures call this their demesne?", he said angrily. Then, remembering his calm nature, he took a step backwards and continued with a calm voice. "Oh foals, blind ye wander through what ye call ye world. With both ye eyes open but still so blind. Ye think ye learned so much but only know so little. Ye unlearned to see!" Draco and Harry exchanged peerie glances. For one in a very rare moment, they agreed that a talkative centaur did bode ill. They hadn't much time to think about the misery they were actual in as the centaur kept talking. "Ye came to this Forest, to my world. The world of so many creatures ye can't even count. Ye were rash, and clumsily reached the edge of this Forest. Foals ye are, blind and rash, but no longer innocent. Change the stars tonight and innocence will change your hearts. Ye entered this Forest without permission, ye have to become acquainted with it and learn to regard it. Regard the Forest, regard yourself, regard your hearts and world will lay at your feet", the centaur continued with trembling voice. Harry glanced at Draco who had a shocked expression on his face. Even he knew that centaurs normally would never ever speak so much. Mischief seemed to be in the wind.

"Ye do not regard the Forest and the life within. Ye would die in this forest after a handful of time. The Forest has no space for foals such as ye are." At these words, Draco snorted derogatorily. He already overcame the first shock, crossed his arms and leaned back. A conceited expression showed up on his face. "Do I look like a foal, horse? The last time I looked at a mirror, I saw a pride, remarkably good-looking man who is born to rule. So as you might have seen, horse, I give a bloody shit on this jabbering". Firenze looked at him, completely unimpressed. "As ye know, centaurs are not called the guardians of this Forest for nothing at all. As I can feel the power of the spell which cast the barrier getting stronger, it will give ye no chance to get free nor break through it. But alone in the Forest, ye would die before the moon has risen. As a guardian, I will offer ye one-time chance to stay alive. Ye will have to answer three questions. Answer them wisely, and bring back the truth to your hearts. I myself will not tell you the aim ye have to achieve with the questions as this is your part. And again, remember: regard the Forest, regard yourself, regard your hearts and world will lay at your feet."

 _As English is not my native language, please commend and I can improve my writing :)_

 _Have fun with the story!_


End file.
